Flag of Hesse

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Hesse
Flag of Hesse.svg
"Landesflagge"
Use Civil flag FIAV normal.svg
Proportion3:5 (or 1:2)
AdoptedApproved 4 August, 1948
DesignA bicolour of red over white
Landesdienstflagge des Landes Hessen
Flag of Hesse (state).svg
Use State flag FIAV normal.svg
Proportion3:5 (or 1:2)
AdoptedApproved 4 August, 1948
DesignThe civil flag with the addition of the coat of arms

The civil flag of Hesse , Germany, consists of a bicolour of a red top and a bottom white stripe, in the proportion 3:5. The state flag is similar, except it is emblazoned with the state coat of arms in the centre, and may only be used by government departments and services.

The colours red and white are based on that of the Ludovingian coat of arms, showing a lion with a ninefold horizontal white and red division. The coat of arms was inherited by the House of Hesse upon its split from the Duchy of Thuringia in 1247, and the flag came into use in the early modern Landgraviate of Hesse; the modern Grand Duchy of Hesse used a flag with two red stripes, as did the People's State of Hesse until 1933.

The flag of Thuringia was introduced in 1920, with its formation out of the fragmented Thuringian states (the Duchy of Thuringia had been absorbed into Saxony in 1400), as the reverse of the flag of Hesse. [1]

The civil flag of Hesse resembles that of Monaco and, particularly, Indonesia.

It also resembles one of the flags of Alsace.

The Hessian ministry of the interior designated several official flag days. On these days, the flag of Hesse (alongside the flags of the European Union and Germany) must be flown on all official buildings. [2] These days include:

DateNameReason
27 JanuaryCommemoration Day for the Victims of National SocialismAnniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp (1945)
1 May Labour Day Established for German labour unions to demonstrate for the promotion of workers' rights
9 May Europe Day Anniversary of the Schuman Declaration (1950)
23 MayConstitution DayAnniversary of the German Basic Law (1949)
17 JuneAnniversary of 17 June 1953Anniversary of the uprising of 1953 in the GDR
20 JulyAnniversary of 20 June 1944Anniversary of the failed assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler by Claus von Stauffenberg (1944)
Second Sunday in SeptemberHessian Memorial Day for Victims of DeportationTo honour all persons living in Hesse who suffered from deportation
3 October Day of German Unity Anniversary of German reunification (1990)
The second Sunday before Advent People's Mourning Day In memory of all killed during wartime
1 DecemberHessian Constitution DayAnniversary of the Hessian Constitution (1946)

On the Commemoration Day for the Victims of National Socialism and on People's Mourning Day, flags are flown at half-mast. Additionally, flags must be flown on days to the election to the European Parliament, the Bundestag, the Hessian Landtag and municipal elections.

History

References

  1. State Chancellery (1948), Gesetz über die Hoheitszeichen des Landes Hessenn (in German), retrieved 25 November 2008
  2. "Beflaggungstermine in Hessen | Hessisches Ministerium des Innern und für Sport". innen.hessen.de. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.